What are the odds? A Murtha rates Pelosi...

When we conduct a public opinion survey, we call a totally random sampling of telephone numbers in the United States, including listed and unlisted numbers and cellphones. We talk to around 1,000 adults each time out; getting responses from rich, from poor, from tea partiers and from people of all stripes. We may have called you.

This randomness is the key that unlocks the statistical power of polls; it's an approach that allows interviews with 1,000 or so adults to "stand for," or represent the views more than 200 million adults living in the country ... plus or minus.

In the latest Washington Post poll we happened to poll a 52-year-old man in Orlando who also agreed to a follow-up interview for a story about the results. His name is John Murtha. (He was not alone; as is typical, more than six in 10 respondents agreed to a "callback" conversation.)

Some Capitol Hill watchers took quick note, as the late congressman John P. Murtha (D-PA) was a strong Pelosi ally in the Congress before his death in February. (Fishbowl DC here.) One implication of these stories was that the respondent might have pulled one over on a hapless Post with a phony name; another, lighter version was that we'd summoned the deceased. (Here, here and here.)

John Murtha in Orlando is a real person. We spoke with him again this afternoon. He happens to be the son of the late congressman.

Before publication, a reporter mistakenly believed there was no connection between the two Murthas; if known and the quote used, the information would have been included in the story.

The son, who says he's never previously taken part in a survey, is entitled, like all others in the country, to express opinions. He is happy he did, saying he "agrees with both sides on certain issues" and "I'm glad I get to put my opinion out there. I'm not my father. I'm my own person."

No, you haven't called me — and please don't, especially when I'm busy, which is most of the time because I am an extremely consequential individual.

If you want my opinion on any topic, please just browse my comments here. Or, if the question has anything to do with Prof. Oboobma, you can save yourself the trouble — just put me down as: "Is it 01/20/2013 yet?"

The respondent then concluded the interview by asking the reporter, "you wouldn't happen to have $100 million to spare for a defense research project idea I have, would you? We simply cannot spend enough to defend this good country, you know."